Analyzing the Impact of Intermodal Facilities to the Design of Supply Chains for Biorefineries

Project Objectives The main purpose of this project is to analyze the impact of intermodal facilities in the design of supply chains for biofuel production facilities. This objective will be attained by pursuing two specific aims: (a) Build mathematical models that will be used to design the in-bound and out-bound supply chain of a biorefinery. This model will take as an input (i) location of existing intermodal facilities and their capacity; (ii) the geographical distribution of biomass feedstock and demand for biofuels, feedstock production yield, and (iii) production, transportation and inventory costs. (b) Compare supply chain designs that take advantage of intermodal facilities with the ones that do not. The comparison of alternative designs will be performed with respect to logistics costs and supply uncertainties. The performance of each design will be tested in a number of scenarios. We anticipate that locating a production plant close to an intermodal facility, allow for economical in-bound and out-bound transportation options and reduce the risk of biomass supply. We will demonstrate the implications of this research using a case study that concentrates in the state of Mississippi. Note that a biorefinery can use corn, or cellulosic biomass to produce ethanol. We plan to investigate the impact of an intermodal facility on both biorefinery types.